“A trusting, vibrant, churchgoing octogenarian, who lived by herself and would always lend a hand to anyone in her neighborhood, sadly losinging her life over some copper plumbing and a few household items. Excellent detective work by Mount Vernon police allowed investigators to zero in on this defendant who now will be held accountable for her death,” said District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

On Monday Feb. 10, 2014 at approximately 9:00 a.m. Emma Gruber went to the Dole Senior Center in Mount Vernon via the Senior Center bus. At 2:30 p.m. the bus dropped Emma Gruber off at her home.

That was the last time anyone saw Emma Gruber alive.

Concerned neighbors and relatives began searching for the victim without success.

The next day, a worried grandson, went to Gruber’s house looking for her.

On Feb. 11, a relative filed a Missing Persons Report at MVPD.

The next day, Feb. 12, Mount Vernon Detectives responded to Gruber’s house to look for her.

They located the victim’s body at the bottom of the basement stairs, under a large pile of clothes and a piece of plywood.

A nearby 2x4 piece of wood had the victim’s blood on it.

The basement had a small flood because Gruber’s water meter and copper pipes had been cut out and removed from the basement.

Also missing from Gruber’s home was the 32” flat screen TV that the concerned relative observed on the day before.

The victim’s death was later ruled a homicide by blunt force trauma of body with intermeningeal hemorrhages and contusion of the brain.

As the investigation into the homicide progressed, it was determined that the defendant had been fencing various items taken from the victim’s residence:

pieces of jewelry were sold at a pawn shop,

a water meter, pipes, cords, a brass pitcher and a brass elephant statue were sold to a scrap yard.

On Monday, March 3, 2014 the defendant was arrested and charged with burglary in the third degree for burglarizing a detached garage of a nearby abandoned home at 359 South Seventh Avenue.

This house, the defendant’s house and the victim’s house are all in the 300 Block on the South Side of Mount Vernon. The location of the burglarized garage is one block behind Lewis’s house and five houses down.

A resident of a nearby house saw the defendant walking down the driveway and then coming back out with a red suitcase. The resident called 911. When the police arrived, they stopped Lewis at the intersection of South Seventh Avenue and West Fifth Street.

He was subsequently arrested.

The defendant’s remand was continued.

Sentencing will be on May 14, 2015.

He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Christine O’Connor and Assistant District Attorney Jean Prisco of the Superior Court Trail Division are prosecuting the case.

Lloyd Lewis

In compliance with Disciplinary Rule 7-107A of the Code of Professional Responsibility, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.